I'm on Week 5 of the programme and enjoying it (more so when I get home and can reflect on how far I've come...but the actual running bits aren't *too* bad, either!)

As I tend to run at silly o'clock in the morning (I leave the house at 5am), I'm finding the mornings increasingly chilly. Although I warm up nicely once I get going, I'm finding the initial 5 minute warm up walk quite uncomfortably cold. I was wondering if anyone here has an alternative warm up routine which I can do indoors, so I literally step outside and start my first run. Maybe I should just be walking on the spot, briskly for 5 minutes or something like that?

Any advice would be great. If the best thing to do is complete the 5 min walk outside, I'll just suck it up and invest in some warmer, peel-offable layers!!

9 Replies

I ALWAYS warm up inside, no matter what the weather. I like to be hot before I get out there

I do a little routine in the hall once I'm ready to go. You can make your own up but this is mine. I do two sets, one after the other.

30 seconds of each, or just count to 30. Marching on the spot, forward windmills (I don't know what they're called but it's just wheeling your arms forward, fast), jump rope (you don't need a rope, just do the movement), skaters and then finish with jumping jacks. I do that twice and then get out there for the warm up walk

You get used to the cold! I start off with my running jacket on but usually take it off and tie it round my waist. Put it back on after running, for the cool down walk.

The colder weather will make you walk briskly and get you warmed up quicker. You get used to it really quickly. I thought I would die of cold but you get acclimatised

Great advice - thank you for taking the time to reply! Do you wear long or short sleeves under your jacket? I've put off buying any proper running gear so far and just wear a vest top underneath a zip-up fleece. It's good because I can unzip the fleece as I heat up. Keep eyeing up the technical vests / t-shirts / jackets / tops in Sports Direct but can't decide what would be best!

I warm up inside as well, mainly because I'm absolutely fed up with smirking dogwalkers and the postman making sarky comments about the fact I 'should be running'.

I've got a stepper machine which I use on non-running days so I usually do 5 mins on that, or a bit of that and some squats with my kettlebells (that always gets the heart rate up and a sweat on!). I stick the garmin on the window sill to find a signal while I warm up.

I would also recommend gloves - it was chilly out there this morning, but oh so pretty with the mist on the fields.

Thanks for your reply - it's just the advice I needed...reckon I might do some warm up stuff indoors and maybe make my warm up walk a little shorter (maybe just do half of it in the great outdoors rather than the full 5 minutes). Gloves are a definite to buy and I ordered a buff today so my cold neck will, hopefully, be a thing of the past! x

Last winter in the sub zero days I wore a sports direct long sleeve top, a soft shell jacket, warm running leggings (can't remember the make - something Canadian from Amazon), gloves and a head buff over my ears. I NEVER felt too cold. Once you warm up it's fine.The only problem I had was icy roads, so I had to change my route so I didn't have to negotiate untreated icy downhill country roads. If I'd waited a couple of hours I would have been fine, but I like to do my runs first thing! A creature of habit!

Thank you. Long sleeve top it is. I might look in Aldi this week for a light running jacket; I understand they have a range in store from Thursday. I like my early sessions, too! I feel much more energetic first thing. x